Theres been lots of speculation over the past few weeks, but director Guillermo del Toro has made it official, telling BuzzFeed that Legendary Pictures has agreed to make Pacific Rim 2 with a release date of April 7, 2017. The characters I love will return, the filmmaker said in a statement. Raleigh, Mako, Newt, Gottlieb and who knows, maybe even Hannibal Chau — but we are taking them into a fresh territory that will display amazing sights and battles. The director also posted a video to YouTube announcing the news, saying that along with the sequel he is also working on a new animated series set in the Pacific Rim universe. He is working on the projects with screenwriters Zak Penn (X-Men: The Last Stand) and Travis Beacham (the original Pacific Rim).